


/ A Whisper // Legend?

by demiksmith



Series: Dead Things [4]
Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, musings on Light and the Darkness, one doesn't always mean good and the other mean bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-28 23:29:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11428506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demiksmith/pseuds/demiksmith
Summary: They ask a lot of you, so much of you. They want, no, demand, all of you. You have so many questions. They do not want those.





	/ A Whisper // Legend?

Though the Hive were skeletal, dead-looking, they were very much  _alive_ , especially once viewed through necromatic energy. Titans and Hunters would joke, often enough, that the Hive was this era's zombie apocalypse,  but the Warlocks knew better. The thanatonauts, especially. 

 

The Guardians themselves were the undead - the  _Chosen Dead_ \- menace. Light and Darkness; one did not necessarily mean Good and Evil, respectively. And besides, in which war did the foot-soldier name themselves evil?

 

Muse this with a Hunter, and at best, they laugh; at worst, a knife in the ribs. Muse this with a Titan, and the only outcome is an accusation of treason, followed by a concise application of violence.

 

Warlocks, however, could acknowledge the worth of such dialogue, even with distrusting looks at the one speaking.

 

 

The shadows around Ikora's eyes spoke volumes, as did the minuscule twitch in Zavala's cheek. They had thought down the same paths, had worried about fighting the "good fight". Cayde was bitter, but believed in the cause, the Traveler, and the Light.

 

 

"Warlock." The Speaker greets you quietly, as though he knows your thoughts. 

  
"You speak for the Traveler." You say, voice soft. 

"I do." The Speaker clasps his hands behind his back as he descends the stairs toward you. 

Your Ghost hums a warning. You ignore him. "What do you hold back?"

 

You both ignore how close to treason that question is, him curious as to what drove a Guardian like you to doubt, and you... well, curiosity's killed a Warlock seven times over before it even glances at the cat.

 

The Speaker turns to face the massive window overlooking the Last City, overlooking the Traveler. "Until it wakes, it says nothing, so I have nothing to hold back, nothing to hide."

"We are dead things." You say, voice cutting with sharp accusation. The Speaker bows his head.

"We are." He agrees.

"The dead do not belong among the living." You murmur, as though by rote. 

"Are we to leave the living, the  _true_ living, to the Hive, the Vex, the Fallen, or the Cabal?" His voice is whisper soft. 

Your Ghost is all but vibrating in irritation. You push him away from your face gently, clumsily, with a hand more suitable for violence.

"Change is not always a bad thing." You reply. The Speaker's shoulders shake in a silent laugh.

"We can say that as much as we want, but when innocents begin dying, it is merely arrogance and ignorance." His tone is patronizing.

"'Rage against the dying of the Light-'" You begin to quote, before suddenly cutting off. "But what if we cause more pain, more  _grief_ , in all our rage?"

The Speaker does not reply for a long while, and you doubt whether it was wise bringing this topic to him. He turns to face you, hands still behind his back.

"We  _are_ change, Warlock." He gestures to you. "You were dead,  _are_ dead, but you are also a creature of Light, of Void, and Solar and Arc. We are the change meant to protect those below. We are the sacrifice, so they might live in peace. Is that not enough?"

The Void tugs at you, pulsing in your bones, and you try to imagine living without it, as those down in the City do. You shake your head. "Just because we are useful, does not make us right." 

"Do you tire of death?" The Speaker asks, and he sounds tired, in this moment. "You, who have died so many times so that others could learn, could survive. You must be."

You watch the man who used to be a Warlock, one of your Order, and you shake your head once more. "I am a thanatonaut, I know death, and do not tire of it. I tire of the killing."

 "Are you sure, Warlock?" The Speaker moves closer, and you can feel the Void in him as surely as in yourself. He leans in, his voice a barely there whisper. "I think the  _killing_ is all that keeps you warm."

You stiffen, in rage, in fear that he might be right.

"There is no time, Guardian. No time for doubt." The Speaker continues, as though he hasn't just laid bare your deepest fear. "Go, return to your work. I feel... a time is coming, a time where we will need you, and those like you."

You have no words, so you bow your head, and leave. The Void is a cold comfort, the Sun and Storm just out of reach. As though Solar or Arc could thaw you now, knowing that the Speaker has seen what you are.

 

The zombie hoard. Mindless killers. You laugh softly. 

**Author's Note:**

> Destiny 2 promises more story content. Hopefully they deliver, I just want to know so much ahah. As always, ArwenShepard on PS4!


End file.
